The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

"Riddick is a great even if you don't like the movie. Buy this game if you can still find it."

A lot of people told me that I should play this game and write a review for Riddick because a lot of people have mixed feelings before buying games (including Riddick). I am also one of those type of people who look for reviews from gamers before actually buying games. I can asure you that The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for Xbox is worth the purchase. When I played the first level, I was blown away by the graphics. This is a game that all gamers should play on a HDTV! Not only are the graphics really nice, the gameplay is really good. Riddick is a First Person Shooter that uses some original FPS mechanics and combines the old with the new. I don't grade a game as a whole completely on graphics, but Riddick has great gameplay as well. Don't think Riddick is all about blasting enemies, there are stealth missions in the game as well. Butcher Bay seems like the worst prison ever and Riddick has been caught. Riddick plans to escape Butcher Bay; that's easier said than done.

The game will make you think on some missions and there is a sub screen that gives you hints about your next accomplishment. Riddick has a ton of moves that are very useful and cool. In stealth mode (or while you are sneaking up on a enemy that is unaware of your presence) Riddick can break the enemy neck with ease. Some enemies will struggle, choke, or try to make noise, therefore you would have to snap their necks quickly and quietly. Riddick can also drag bodies or throw dead enemies to "hide" the evidence. If an dead enemy is found, the surrounding enemies will into alert mode and search the area. Whenever Riddick is out of sight of enemies the screen will show a blue like tint until Riddick is visible. This feature lets the gamer know that he or she is hidden from view. There plenty of weapons in the game at Riddick disposal. These weapons won't be easy to get though, but once you get the weapons you will love em. If Riddick can't find weapons you can always use your fist to fight enemies. The hand combat is really cool. You can make combos while using your fist or various and weapons by pressing the analog in a specific direction + right trigger. If you press the right trigger before a enemy attacks you, Riddick will counter the attack. The counter attacks are always nice! Riddick is very deadly when he counters an attack! The enemies AI in the game is pretty good. Of course there are glitches, but the enemies / prison guards at Butcher are ruthless as well and shouldn't be taken lightly. Enemies will melee attack you if you are too close or try to attack them, they will also shoot to kill on the spot if you try anything crazy. If you decide to turn out the lights, or shoot out the lights in the area, the enemies will turn on their flashlights and search to kill. Throughout the game, you can find packs of smokes laying around, these items unlock art work, CG still pictures and movies in the Extras menu.

The game is very long and will keep you busy for a long while. There are sub missions in the game that are optional, but if Riddick decide to help certain people, good things can happen. This game is truly for mature adults. The game consists of swearing and is very bloody (the way I like it). The voice acting is surprisingly good. I'm sure the developers put all of the money to good in this game. The music fits the game perfectly, very heart pounding at times. Riddick has plenty of enemies and different "types" of enemies that are more ruthless than the prison guards. The storyline is really good. There are minor graphical issues in the game, but nothing major. The sound is crystal clear and The Chronicles of Riddick supports Dolby Digital. This brings the game to life! The gameplay goes from cool, to good, to great!! You check this title out asap. Riddick does everything correct for the First Person Genre and deserves a purchase.
Riddick receives a 9.4 out of 10


Graphics: 9.6/10
The graphics in Riddick are great and even better in High Definition (HD). The lighting effects, physics, textures and character models are all top notch. The game is simply beautiful. The characters actually looks like their real life counter parts. This game is a sight to see. The blood looks very realistic when you are shooting or melee attacking enemies. When an enemy or character receives a melee attack you can clearly see the bruises and blood appear on the NPCs face. The guns and hand weapons all look great. There are minor graphical issues regarding the light, but it is very minor. Outstanding graphics. This game clearly shows what the Xbox can produce.

Controls: 9.3/10
The controls in the game are great too! There are various controller schemes to suit different gamers. The controller is very responsive with the game. Riddick uses a different way to choose weapons in the game instead of just scrolling and automatically switching from weapon to weapon on the fly. To change weapons you basically scroll with the (Y) button, but you won't switch weapons, instead you will continue to scroll until you see the weapon of choice and then you press the right trigger to choose your weapon. This was a different approach and less confusing, but nice for Riddick. this is also a nice feature because there are plenty dark realistic areas.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is greatly enhanced thanks to great voice acting, realistic graphics, good responsive controls and decent loading times. All of these things add to the experience. The graphics and lighting are outstanding. The enemies AI will give you good challenge. The developers included sub missions to give you a break from the heart pounding escape from Butcher Bay. Sub-missions can be helping various cell inmates. Sub-missions can put Riddick in the position of a assassin who has a hit list or something simple by like....oh... lets just say, recovering an addicts drugs. Yes, there are sub mission that require you to recover drugs. Remember the sub missions are all OPTIONAL and NOT forced on the gamer. This game has plenty of adult content, but nothing is over used. The gameplay is not repetitive like most FPS. The framerate is impressive as well. I've never played a realistic (graphics) game that had a framerate as good as The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

Fun Factor: 8.7/10
This game is fun and there are key moments that you will load up and replay! Everything in the game has been polished for the gamers across the world. The developers left nothing untouched in Riddick. The Extra content is pretty decent for fans of the series and the movie. The game is very realistic and you will have fun escaping from Butcher Bay. Voice acting is really great. The missions in the game are nice and not over used. The game saves all of your checkpoints so that you can load your game from any level you want. The game is very lengthy and will keep you occupied for a long time. This is a game that you will play for a very long time and if you haven't played this game yet, you should go out and get it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/07

Game Release: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (US, 06/01/04)